Integration of a photovoltaic device

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatus are provided for converting electromagnetic radiation, such as solar energy, into electric energy with increased efficiency when compared to conventional solar cells. A photovoltaic (PV) unit may have all electrical contacts positioned on the back side of the PV device to avoid shadowing and increase absorption of the photons impinging on the front side of the PV unit. Several PV units may be combined into PV banks, and an array of PV banks may be connected to form a PV module with thin strips of metal or conductive polymer formed at low temperature. Such innovations may allow for greater efficiency and flexibility in PV devices when compared to conventional solar cells.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/107,970 filed Oct. 23, 2008, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to photovoltaic (PV) devices, such as solar cells, with increased efficiency and greater flexibility and methods for fabricating the same.

2. Description of the Related Art

As fossil fuels are being depleted at ever-increasing rates, the need for alternative energy sources is becoming more and more apparent. Energy derived from wind, from the sun, and from flowing water offer renewable, environment-friendly alternatives to fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas. Being readily available almost anywhere on Earth, solar energy may someday be a viable alternative.

To harness energy from the sun, the junction of a solar cell absorbs photons to produce electron-hole pairs, which are separated by the internal electric field of the junction to generate a voltage, thereby converting light energy to electric energy. The generated voltage can be increased by connecting solar cells in series, and the current may be increased by connecting solar cells in parallel. Solar cells may be grouped together on solar panels. An inverter may be coupled to several solar panels to convert DC power to AC power.

Nevertheless, the currently high cost of producing solar cells relative to the low efficiency levels of contemporary devices is preventing solar cells from becoming a mainstream energy source and limiting the applications to which solar cells may be suited. Accordingly, there is a need for more efficient photovoltaic devices suitable for a myriad of applications.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to methods and apparatus for converting electromagnetic radiation, such as solar energy, into electric energy with increased efficiency when compared to conventional solar cells.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a photovoltaic (PV) device. The PV device generally includes a plurality of PV units—wherein each PV unit typically has a window layer, an absorber layer disposed below the window layer such that electrons are generated when photons travel through the window layer and are absorbed by the absorber layer, and a plurality of contacts for external connection coupled to the absorber layer, such that all of the contacts for external connection are disposed below the absorber layer and do not block any of the photons from reaching the absorber layer through the window layer—and a plurality of electrically conductive connections for connecting the plurality of contacts among the plurality of PV units.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a PV device. The PV device generally includes a first PV unit, a second PV unit, a third PV unit—wherein each of the first, second, and third PV units typically has a window layer, an n-doped base layer disposed below the window layer, a p⁺-doped emitter layer disposed below the n-doped base layer to form a p-n layer such that electric energy is created when photons are absorbed by the p-n layer, a plurality of n-contacts coupled to the base layer and disposed below the emitter layer such that the plurality of n-contacts does not block the photons from reaching the p-n layer through the window layer, and a plurality of p-contacts coupled to the emitter layer and disposed below the emitter layer such that the plurality of p-contacts does not block the photons from reaching the p-n layer through the window layer—a first plurality of electrically conductive connections for connecting the n-contacts of the first and second PV units together, and a second plurality of electrically conductive connections for connecting the p-contacts of the second and third PV units together.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above-recited features of the invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates multiple epitaxial layers for a photovoltaic (PV) unit in cross-section, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates contacts to the semiconductor layers being on the back side of the PV unit, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A illustrates the back side of the PV unit, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3B illustrates an equivalent electrical circuit of the PV unit of FIG. 3A, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates the interconnection of the p-contacts and of the n-contacts between the multiple PV units to form a PV bank, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates the interconnection of multiple PV banks to form a PV module, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide techniques and apparatus for converting electromagnetic radiation, such as solar energy, into electric energy with increased efficiency when compared to conventional solar cells.

An Exemplary Photovoltaic Unit

FIG. 1 illustrates various epitaxial layers of a photovoltaic (PV) unit 100 in cross-section. The various layers may be formed using any suitable method for semiconductor growth, such as molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) or metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), on a substrate (not shown).

The PV unit 100 may comprise a window layer 106 formed above the substrate and any underlying buffer layer(s). The window layer 106 may comprise aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs), such as Al_(0.3)Ga_(0.7)As. The window layer 106 may be undoped. The window layer 106 may be transparent to allow photons to pass through the window layer on the front side of the PV unit to other underlying layers.

A base layer 108 may be formed above the window layer 106. The base layer 108 may comprise any suitable group III-V compound semiconductor, such as GaAs. The base layer 108 may be monocrystalline and may be n-doped.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, an emitter layer 110 may be formed above the base layer 108. The emitter layer 110 may comprise any suitable group III-V compound semiconductor for forming a heterojunction with the base layer 108. For example, if the base layer 108 comprises GaAs, the emitter layer 110 may comprise a different semiconductor material, such as AlGaAs (e.g., Al_(0.3)Ga_(0.7)As). If the emitter layer 110 and the window layer 106 both comprise AIGaAs, the Al_(x)Ga_(1-x)As composition of the emitter layer 110 may be the same as or different than the Al_(y)Ga_(1-y)As composition of the window layer. The emitter layer 110 may be monocrystalline and may be heavily p-doped p⁺-doped). The combination of the base layer 108 and the emitter layer 110 may form an absorber layer for absorbing photons.

The contact of an n-doped base layer to a p⁺-doped emitter layer creates a p-n layer 112. When light is absorbed near the p-n layer 112 to produce electron-hole pairs, the built-in electric field may force the holes to the p⁺-doped side and the electrons to the n-doped side. This displacement of free charges results in a voltage difference between the two layers 108, 110 such that electron current may flow when a load is connected across terminals coupled to these layers.

Rather than an n-doped base layer 108 and a p⁺-doped emitter layer 110 as described above, conventional photovoltaic semiconductor devices typically have a p-doped base layer and an n⁺-doped emitter layer. The base layer is typically p-doped in conventional devices due to the diffusion length of the carriers.

Once the emitter layer 110 has been formed, cavities or recesses 114 may be formed in the emitter layer deep enough to reach the underlying base layer 108. Such recesses 114 may be formed by applying a mask to the emitter layer 110 using photolithography, for example, and removing the semiconductor material in the emitter layer 110 not covered by the mask using any suitable technique, such as wet or dry etching. In this manner, the base layer 108 may be accessed via the back side of the PV unit 100.

For some embodiments, an interface layer 116 may be formed above the emitter layer 110. The interface layer 116 may comprise any suitable group III-V compound semiconductor, such as GaAs. The interface layer 116 may be p⁺-doped.

Once the epitaxial layers have been formed, the functional layers of the PV unit 100 (e.g., the window layer 106, the base layer 108, and the emitter layer 110) may be separated from the buffer layer(s) 102 and substrate during an epitaxial lift-off (ELO) process.

Exemplary Electrical Contacts

Electrical contacts may be used to couple the semiconductor layers of the PV unit 100 to wires for connection to other PV units and for external connection to a load. A conventional solar cell typically has contacts on both the front and back sides of the cell. Front side contacts, especially thicker ones, create shadows where light cannot reach the underlying absorber layer to be converted into electric energy. Therefore, the efficiency potential of the solar cell cannot be obtained. Accordingly, techniques and apparatus for contacting the semiconductor layers of the PV unit without introducing shadows are needed.

FIG. 2 illustrates all electrical contacts to the semiconductor layers being on the back side of the PV unit 100, according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, n-contacts 602 may be formed in the recesses 114 to provide an interface to the n-doped base layer 108, and p-contacts 604 may be formed above the interface layer 116 to couple to the p⁺-doped emitter layer 110. The heavy doping in the p⁺-doped interface layer 116 may facilitate making an ohmic contact. In this manner, efficiency need not be sacrificed by having electrical contacts on the front side of the PV unit to block light and create solar shadows.

The pattern of the recesses 114 in the emitter layer 110 and the remaining portion of the interface layer 116 for the contacts 602, 604 may be based on the desired sheet resistance. The dimensions (e.g., area) of the contacts 602, 604 may be very small compared to the dimensions (e.g., area) of a single PV unit 100. What is more, the pattern of the contacts 602, 604 may provide a built-in tolerance against local defects and shadowing.

The contacts 602, 604 may comprise any suitable electrically conductive material, such as a metal or a metal alloy. Preferably, the material for the contacts should not punch through the semiconductor layers during fabrication. Traditional contacts comprising gold (Au) often had this spiking problem. Furthermore, the material for the back side contacts may preferably be capable of being applied at relatively low metallization process temperatures, such as between 150 and 200° C. For example, the contact 602, 604 may comprise palladium/germanium (Pd/Ge) to meet these design goals. Palladium does not react with GaAs.

Whatever material is selected, the contacts 602, 604 may be fabricated on the PV unit 100 by any suitable method, such as vacuum-evaporation through a photoresist, photolithography, screen printing, or merely depositing on the exposed portion of the PV units that have been partially covered with wax or another protective material. These methods all involve a system in which the part of the PV unit on which a contact is not desired is protected, while the rest of the PV unit is exposed to the metal. Of these, screen printing may be the most cost effective, helping to decrease the cost of the resulting PV devices.

Despite all the contacts 602, 604 being on the back side of the PV unit 100 to reduce solar shadows, dark current and its stability with time and temperature may still be concerns when designing an efficient PV unit. An exposed p-n layer 112 may be a source of dark current, and larger recesses 114 may be responsible for an increase in dark current. Thus, smaller recesses 114 may be desired. However, there is a tradeoff between reducing the size of the recesses 14 to reduce dark current and the probability of fabricating the n-contacts 602 in the recesses 114 without touching the sidewalls.

Exemplary Integration

FIG. 3A illustrates the back side of the PV unit 100, wherein all the contacts 602, 604 are disposed on the back side. As described above, the n-contacts 602 may be located within the recesses 114 in the emitter layer 110. The PV unit 100 may have a width w of about 2 to 3 cm and a length/of about 10 cm.

FIG. 3B illustrates an equivalent electrical circuit 1500 of the PV unit 100 of FIG. 3A. One may consider the PV unit 100 as having an efficient miniature solar cell 1502 between each n-contact 602 and p-contact 604. Within a PV unit 100, all of the n-contacts 602 are coupled to the same base layer 108 and all of the p-contacts 604 are coupled to the same emitter layer 110. Therefore, the open circuit voltage (V_(OC)) of the equivalent circuit 1500 may be modeled as the sum of the open circuit voltages across the miniature solar cells 1502 in series, and the short circuit current (I_(SC)) may be modeled as the sum of the short circuit currents across the miniature solar cells 1502 in parallel. In essence, the equivalent electrical circuit 1500 of the PV unit 100 may be thought of as a single solar cell with a greater V_(OC) and a larger I_(SC) than those of the miniature solar cells 1502 which compose it.

FIG. 4 illustrates the interconnection of the p-contacts 604 and of the n-contacts between multiple PV units 100 to form a PV bank 1600, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. For some embodiments, a PV bank 1600 may comprise one column of about ten PV units 100 arranged in parallel. In this manner, the short circuit current (I_(SC)) of the PV bank 1600 may be about ten times greater than that of a single PV unit 100.

The interconnection may be accomplished by thin strips 1602, 1604 placed between the PV units 100 according to a certain pattern. For example, strips 1604 may connect the p-contacts 604 of a first PV unit 100 ₁ to the p-contacts 604 of a second PV unit 100 ₂. Rather than connecting the first PV unit 100 ₁ to the second PV unit 100 ₂ for the n-contacts, strips 1602 may connect the n-contacts 602 of the second PV unit 100 ₂ to the n-contacts 602 of a third PV unit 100 ₃ as illustrated in FIG. 4. This interconnection pattern may be selected to provide considerable flexibility in the PV bank 1600.

The strips 1602, 1604 may comprise any suitable electrically conductive material, such as metal or metal alloys. For example, the strips 1602, 1604 may comprise tin-coated copper. For some embodiments, the strips 1602 for the n-contacts may comprise a different material than the strips 1604 for the p-contacts 604. To form strips made of metal or metal alloys, the strips may be applied to the back side of the PV units 100 across the dot geometry of the contacts 602, 604 via screen printing, for example.

Screen printing metals or metal alloys may indicate a high process temperature. Therefore, for some embodiments, the strips 1602, 1604 may comprise an electrically conductive polymer instead of a metal or metal alloy. The conductive polymer strips may be formed by screen printing at a lower temperature than that suggested by silk-screening metal.

The spacing between adjacent PV units 100 may be about 1 to 2 mm on the PV bank 1600. This relatively close spacing may also allow for greater flexibility in the PV bank 1600, especially when combined with an interconnection pattern selected for this purpose, such as the interconnection pattern described above.

FIG. 5 illustrates the interconnection of multiple PV banks 1600 arranged in an array to form a PV module 1700, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Adjacent PV banks 1600 in a row may be connected together by couplings 1702. The couplings 1702 may connect the n-contact 602 of one PV bank to the p-contact 604 of an adjacent PV bank within the row, such that the PV banks 1600 (and the equivalent electric circuit) of a row are connected in series, thereby combining the open circuit voltage (V_(OC)) capabilities of the PV banks 1600. The couplings 1702 may comprise a wire or a strip of metal, metal alloy, or a conductive polymer, similar to the strips 1602, 1604 in the PV banks 1600.

The couplings 1702 may also connect a p-contact 604 on each row of PV banks 1600 to a p-side bus-bar 1704 on one side and connect an n-contact 602 on each row of PV banks 1600 to an n-side bus-bar 1706 on the other side of the PV module 1700. In this manner, the rows of series-connected PV banks 1600 may be connected in parallel, thereby combining the short circuit current (I_(SC)) capabilities of the PV banks 1600. The bus-bars 1704, 1706 may be relatively thick in an effort to carry substantial current generated by the PV banks 1600 to a load (not shown). For some embodiments, the DC output voltage (V_(OC)) of the module 1700 may be coupled to an inverter in an effort to create AC voltage.

The finished PV module 1700 may be encapsulated. The front side of the PV module 1700 may be covered with a thin transparent sheet comprising glass or plastic, for example. The length L of the module may be about 1 m with a 4×4 array of PV banks 1600 as illustrated in FIG. 4.

By connecting the PV units 100 with the strips 1602, 1604 to form PV banks 1600 and by integrating the PV banks 1600 with couplings 1702 to develop the PV module 1700, the PV module 1700 may have a built-in tolerance against local defects. In other words, a defect (e.g., a shunt between an n-contact 602 and a p-contact 604) localized to a PV unit 100 need not cause the module 1700 to fail. Furthermore, protection may be added at the macroscopic and/or the microscopic level. In other words, protection, such as fuses, may be added to one or more PV banks 1600 and/or to the PV module 1700. For some embodiments, protection circuitry may be built into the PV units 100 at the wafer level.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow. 

1. A photovoltaic (PV) device, comprising: a plurality of PV units, wherein each PV unit comprises: a window layer; an absorber layer disposed below the window layer such that electrons are generated when photons travel through the window layer and are absorbed by the absorber layer; and a plurality of contacts for external connection coupled to the absorber layer, such that all of the contacts for external connection are disposed below the absorber layer and do not block any of the photons from reaching the absorber layer through the window layer; and a plurality of electrically conductive connections for connecting the plurality of contacts among the plurality of PV units.
 2. The PV device of claim 1, wherein the absorber layer comprises a group III-V semiconductor.
 3. The PV device of claim 2, wherein the group III-V semiconductor is monocrystalline.
 4. The PV device of claim 1, wherein the absorber layer comprises: a base layer adjacent to the window layer; and an emitter layer disposed below the base layer.
 5. The PV device of claim 4, wherein the base layer is n-doped.
 6. The PV device of claim 5, wherein the base layer comprises n-GaAs.
 7. The PV device of claim 4, wherein the emitter layer is p⁺-doped.
 8. The PV device of claim 7, wherein the emitter layer comprises p⁺-AlGaAs.
 9. The PV device of claim 4, wherein the plurality of contacts comprise: a plurality of n-contacts coupled to the base layer; and a plurality of p-contacts coupled to the emitter layer.
 10. The PV device of claim 9, wherein the plurality of electrically conductive connections comprises: a first plurality of conductive connections for connecting the plurality of n-contacts among the PV units; and a second plurality of conductive connections for connecting the plurality of p-contacts among the PV units.
 11. The PV device of claim 10, wherein the first plurality of conductive connections comprises a different material than the second plurality of conductive connections.
 12. The PV device of claim 1, where the plurality of electrically conductive connections comprises a conductive polymer.
 13. The PV device of claim 12, wherein the conductive polymer is applied at a temperature below 150° C.
 14. The PV device of claim 1, where the plurality of electrically conductive connections comprises a metal or a metal alloy.
 15. A photovoltaic (PV) device, comprising: a first PV unit; a second PV unit; a third PV unit, wherein each of the first, second, and third PV units comprises: a window layer; an n-doped base layer disposed below the window layer; a p⁺-doped emitter layer disposed below the n-doped base layer to form a p-n layer such that electric energy is created when photons are absorbed by the p-n layer; a plurality of n-contacts coupled to the base layer and disposed below the emitter layer such that the plurality of n-contacts does not block the photons from reaching the p-n layer through the window layer; and a plurality of p-contacts coupled to the emitter layer and disposed below the emitter layer such that the plurality of p-contacts does not block the photons from reaching the p-n layer through the window layer; a first plurality of electrically conductive connections for connecting the n-contacts of the first and second PV units together; and a second plurality of electrically conductive connections for connecting the p-contacts of the second and third PV units together.
 16. The PV device of claim 15, wherein the base layer or the emitter layer comprises a group III-V semiconductor.
 17. The PV device of claim 16, wherein the group III-V semiconductor is monocrystalline.
 18. The PV device of claim 15, wherein the base layer comprises n-GaAs.
 19. The PV device of claim 15, wherein the emitter layer comprises p⁺-AlGaAs.
 20. The PV device of claim 15, wherein the first plurality of conductive connections comprise a different material than the second plurality of conductive connections.
 21. The PV device of claim 15, where the first or the second plurality of electrically conductive connections comprises a conductive polymer.
 22. The PV device of claim 21, wherein the conductive polymer is applied at a temperature below 150° C.
 23. The PV device of claim 15, where the first or the second plurality of electrically conductive connections comprises a metal or a metal alloy. 